Heavy freezing drizzle can cause extensive engine damage in jets waiting for takeoff. Often, freezing drizzle can appear to be only harmless light drizzle to even trained meteorologists, with the result that preventative or remedial de-icing is not done. The National Center for Atmospheric Research reported that two cases of heavy freezing drizzle at Denver International Airport on Oct. 31, 2002, and the same date in 2003, caused a total of $2.85 million in damage to 18 jet engines on United Airlines 737 aircraft.
The accumulation of ice on airplane wings continues to be one of aviation's most insidious problems claiming lives due to take-off crashes and ice accumulation while a plane is in flight. Anti-icing solutions can be and are applied when the aircraft is on the ground but are expensive and have a negative environmental impact. Anti-icing systems used in the air consume large amounts of energy and their over-use can contribute to mechanical wear and expensive repair.